


Golden Universe Gaiden

by Squish13



Series: Gold-Swap [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Momswap, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Side Stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-12 15:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12962208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squish13/pseuds/Squish13
Summary: Side stories to the Yellow Diamond/Greg Universe origin fic.





	1. The Homeworld Crew

**Author's Note:**

> As the name implies we got a lot of side stories here. Anything taking place after the original work. Including anything from Yellow and Greg themselves, to Steven and the Homeworld Crew, or perhaps other humans.

“So if you weren’t around in Dad’s story of Mom and Pearl coming to Earth, when _did_ you two get here?”  The young hybrid asked, brushing his messy caramel hair from his golden eyes.

The Jasper exchanged looks with the Era 2 peridot beside her, the peridot tapping her chin with the floating digits of her limb enhancers. “Ehm…”  They groaned in unison.

“Oh, please.” Pearl started, walking up from behind Steven and sitting down next to him. “Why don’t you tell him how you two managed to crash your ship on this planet as well?”

“Nyeh… Fine!” Peri snapped. “But you have to fill in the holes.” She said, pointing at the pearl’s gem.

“Gladly.”  She responded with a smirk.  As Pearl attempted to tame Steven’s wild hair, she started.  “Your mother and I had been on Earth for several years.  She and your father stayed close, but I did as well.”

* * *

Pearl watched from a distance as her Diamond and that _human_ fraternized.  She could still hardly believe how much her Diamond had changed over the years.  Once, she cursed this planet’s name.  Now, she dedicated herself to saving it, for the human who had shown her so much.  But instead of the hard work she normally did to accomplish that goal, she was wasting her day away with _him._    Was Pearl jealous?  Well of course, a little boy who had only known her Diamond for a few years was taking her away from the loyal pearl who had stayed by her side for millennia.  But she had to admit, it was nice to see her Diamond enjoy herself.  Something she hadn’t seen since…

“The facial hair does you justice.”

Pearl’s head perked up as she heard her Diamond speak.

“Oh yeah?”

Yellow’s hand began rubbing Greg’s now-fuzzy chin, her usual harsh eyes gone soft as a smile graced her face.  “Of course.”

Pearl wanted to gag, but all was interrupted by the boom of what could only be a gem ship exiting gravity drive.  Both gems rose to their feet, wide-eyed as they watched the green ship which headed their way.

“D-do you think they came for us?”  Pearl squeaked, nervously looking to her Diamond.

“We never got a message out.  There’s no way they could know.”  Yellow commented, focused on the looming threat.

 

“Earth, it’s been too long.” Jasper stated, watching as the planet’s surface drew nearer.

“Uh-huh.” Peridot drawled as she kept focus on piloting.  “If you want to share more war stories, why don’t you pick a gem that cares?”

A large hand gripped the back of the pilot’s seat.  “You wanna repeat that?”

The peridot shrunk in her seat.  “N-no…”

The ship jolted.

“What was that?”  The orange gem exclaimed.

 

Smoke emanated from the gloved fingertips of the giant who had used her gem powers to repel the threat.  Her gem held a faint glow, ready to call upon its might at any moment while her eyes remained focused on the invaders in the sky. 

Meanwhile, Greg and Pearl stayed hidden behind a nearby tree.  The young man’s head peeked out from their cover, concern heavy on his features.

 

Another blast rocked the ship and Peridot attempted to adjust, but another was quick to throw it off once more, this time sending sirens blaring. 

As soon as she regained balance, Jasper shot towards the technician, grabbing her arm and roughly spinning her around.  Her eyes bore into the timid gem in a terrifying display.  “ _What_ was that?”

“Erm…” Peridot turned back to the monitors, now free from Jasper’s grasp.  “It seems we’re-“ Another blast jolted the gems. “Taking major damage from a ground-based source.”

“Ground-based?”  Jasper rushed to see what was visible outside the ship, keeping her footing best she could as she made the journey.  What she saw made the quartz warrior pale.  “Oh.”

 

Electricity crackled around Yellow Diamond’s form.  Sending one more blast towards the gem ship sent it falling to the ground. 

Greg attempted to run from cover, but found himself stopped by Yellow’s pearl, who kept a tight grip around his wrist.  “But…”

“They’ll be fine.” She assured him, noting how his gaze drifted to the smoke which billowed from the nearby wreck.  “After all, we were.”

They watched as Yellow made her way towards the crash site.

 

Jasper held a large sheet of metal on her back, doing her job by protecting the peridot she was assigned to escort.  She growled, pushing back against the weight to free the two of them from this prison.  After all her effort, clawing and climbing her way to the surface, the first sign of light was a great relief.  Climbing on top of the rubble herself, she then pulled the technician out as well.  But a shadow grew over their crater.

The two gems looked over their shoulders, and were met with the sight of a Diamond standing over them with her arms crossed.  Jasper and Peridot spun around, quickly bringing their arms up in the proper salute.

“Who told you to come here?” She asked, getting right to the point by avoiding all pleasantries before they could begin.  “This planet is restricted.”

“You did?”  Peridot meekly responded.  “A-at least the notice from my supervisor said you had.”

“What?”

“Yellow!”

Anger gave way to concern as the Diamond’s attention shifted to the human and pearl running up to her.  “You shouldn’t be here.” She said, ignoring the saluting gems who exchanged glances in the wreckage below.

Before Greg could open his mouth to explain, Pearl pushed in front, words pouring from her mouth.  “I’m sorry, My Diamond.  I tried to hold him back, but he wouldn’t listen!”

Greg pushed back in front of Pearl to have his say. “Yellow, please let me explain.” He pleaded.  Upon an approving nod from the giant gem, he continued. “I was worried.  About what you these gems and what you might do to them,” he said, gesturing toward the two who had since dropped their salutes. “About you.”

Silence permeated the air.  During that time, the human and gem matriarch seemed to have a silent exchange which none of the onlooking gems could understand.  The first sound which broke was the defeated sight of the great gem.  She looked down to the gems she had sent crashing to the earth.  “You will not contact Homeworld, you will _not_ flee this planet.  Is that clear?”

“Yes, My Diamond.” The gems said in unison.

She nodded, and proceeded to shift down, joining the human.  “This way.”

* * *

“So Mom threatened you into staying?”

“Nah.” Jasper waved off.  “That was Pearl.”

At the recognition, Pearl made a devilish smirk.  “As I recall, Peridot was ready to dissipate herself after that.”

“I was not!” The green gem shouted, though the deep flush of her face betrayed it all.

They all laughed.  And as the gems began to argue about what happened back then, Steven’s eyes drifted over the interior of what he called home, the reconstructed ship Jasper and Peridot arrived in.  But it was less of a ship now and more of a normal house you could find on Earth, plus Homeworld’s technology of course.  As he thought back on all of the stories his dad and the gems told him, his heart began to ache.  No, it wasn’t his heart.  He reached a hand up to the source of the pain.  His gem, her diamond.


	2. Book Buddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays. Consider this chapter my gift to you!  
> I did sort of finish it yesterday, so I did wait to publish it today.

Steven never spent much time in town.  For, it was hard for him to connect with the humans who lived there.  But this had to be his favorite location of all.  As soon as he opened those doors, the wondrous scent of paper assailed his senses.  A smile crept onto the boy’s face.  It was the smell he associated with knowledge.  As Steven made his way to his favorite section of the building, he waved a greeting to the librarian, who smiled and returned the gesture to the regular.

Once he’d trod his way to non-fiction, the boy started browsing through the collection, hoping to find something he’d not yet read, which was proving to be more difficult than he initially thought.  Well, thankfully for him, it seemed they did have some new additions.  The boy eagerly took the texts with him, hurrying to a place where he could set these down and read. 

Steven made himself comfortable before picking the first book off the pile beside him, soon losing himself in its content.  Minutes passed, then hours, the young boy passing page after page, ever expanding his knowledge-base.

A familiar noise caused the boy’s head to perk up.  There she was, that girl who frequented this library almost as much as he did.  But, he couldn’t bring himself to speak to her.  He gulped, setting down the biography in his hands and following her to the fiction aisles.

She stopped, and so did he, peering around the corner of a bookshelf.  Her long, dark hair bounced against the seafoam dress she war, causing Steven to sweat nervously as he fiddled with the bead bracelet in his jean pocket.   He noticed her tense, turning to allow her deep brown eyes to meet his golden ones.

“Hello?”

She noticed him.  The boy’s face flushed a deep scarlet.  He looked around, hoping deep in his heart that there was another person there she might have been addressing instead.  But no, they were the only ones.

“Am… I in the way?”  She asked, pushing up those raspberry glasses of hers.

It took him a moment to process what she had meant as they stood there in awkward silence.  “Oh!  Uh… not really.”  He said, closing the gap between them.  He’d stopped next to the girl and looked at the shelf of fantasy books.  He grimaced; he always had preferred fact to fiction, but glancing beside him, he realized that girl enjoyed it very much.  “So… what do you recommend?” He spoke up, trying to make small talk.  Something his dad said he was just as bad at as his mother.

The girl looked at him, clearly as uncomfortable with the situation as he was.  She clutched a book close to her chest, addressing this strange boy.  “Well… that really depends on what genres you prefer. So…”

Steven cleared his throat.  _Just pick something,_ he told himself.  As his eyes scanned the shelf, his hand followed, eventually landing on what he assumed was the first addition of a random series. 

The shy girl’s face lit up when she saw what he had just pulled out.  “Oh, that’s such a great series!” She beamed.  “There’s demigods living together and all going on crazy adventures each year to save the world and their friends, and…”  She paused, turning to hide her face.

The boy chuckled.  “So I should read the rest of them then?”

“Oh, totally.”  She began to pick out each installment of the series and stack them in the boy’s arms.  “Now that should be all of them.”  She said, her eyes scanning over the books in Steven’s grasp.

“Thanks, um…”

“Connie.” She replied, brushing a stray lock out of her face.

“Steven.”  He responded with a grin.  “Oh, I almost forgot!”  The boy set the stack on the ground, then searched his pocket for the reason he even followed her over here.  He pulled it out, a bead bracelet, holding it out for her to take.  “I saw you drop this awhile back, and well…”  He rubbed the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.  “I mean, there was no guarantee you’d check the lost and found, so I figured I should return it myself, and I saw you head over this way, so I followed you, but I don’t really like fiction, and this got awkward and I’m making it more awkward and…”

Connie picked the bracelet out of Steven’s hand, placing it on her wrist as a smile grew on her face.  “Thank you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos make me a happy writer!
> 
> As always, this is your lovely Squish wishing you all a fantastic day!


	3. Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can people stop getting on me for chapter lengths for these side stories? The point of the whole thing is that these are all oneshots that happen to be in continuity. Not that they're in order or anything, but yeah.

Golden eyes peered over the ocean’s vast expanse while gloved hands grasped at the wild grass, damp and cool from morning’s dew.  As the last stars shone above, the horizon began to light, painting the landscape in brilliant hues.  The planet’s star rose over the endless plane of blue, casting light on the peculiar visitor’s form.  Her eyelids closed and a hand drifted up to the glimmering diamond set in her chest which rose and fell with each unneeded breath.

Thoughts swirled through the being’s mind.  Her gemstone, the very essence of who she was, and she giving it away.  The hand which was held to her gemstone shifted downward, coming to rest on her belly.  To think of what she had become in her years on this planet.  To think that she had learned to love it, to love _him_.

The soft padding of footsteps could be heard climbing the hill, delicate as every pearl should be.  Silence hung between the two, the only noise coming from nature itself.  The delicate gem made her seat next to her diamond, following her gaze over the horizon.  Her hands gripped at the grass, pulling up clumps which released the scent into the air around them.  “You… wished to see me, My Diamond?  You said it was a matter of special import.”

The former leader inclined her head toward the gem, noting the concern worn across her features.  “Yes, Pearl, I did.”  She paused, trying to find the words within herself to describe to the most loyal gem she had ever known.  “You remember that human child Greg would be called upon to watch, yes?”

“Well, yes, My Diamond, but how does that matter so much?”  She asked with a raise of a brow.

“Because we’ve decided to have one of our own.”

The pearl’s eyes widened as she processed this information.  Surely it couldn’t be true.  She was just joking, right?  But since when did Yellow Diamond ever jest?  “What?”

“I’ll be having his child.”  The former leader repeated.  “And to do so,” her eyes closed as she paused, letting a gentle breeze roll over the hillside.  She took a shaky breath and upon release, said her piece.  “I must release my physical form, so that it may bear my gem.”

“No, no.”  The pearl muttered, shaking her head.  “Y-you can’t _seriously_ be thinking of giving up your form, My Diamond.  I-it’s not too late, y-you can still change your mind.  Think of all your loyal gems! The peridot, the jasper.”

“Already know.”

“You don’t have to do this!”  She cried.  “My Diamond, please.”

“Oh, Pearl,” The Diamond gently took her pearl’s chin, tilting it so the delicate gem’s eyes met the harsh gaze of her own.  “But I’m already carrying.”

 Yellow’s pearl tore away from the Diamond’s grasp.  And so she ran, covering her mouth and fighting her own tears.

The former leader watched as her little pearl drew further and further away, but she could hardly blame the little gem for reacting such a way.  They’d known one another for millennia, and now, one of them would be gone for good.  But the Diamond had made her decision.  She only hoped the others could forgive her in time.


	4. A Learning Experience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tired and sick Squish writes a last minute chapter because she forgot this day was coming up.

A van with a garish rocker’s logo sat in the empty gravel parking lot a magnificent lake.  As the morning sun shone, barely above the horizon, a light wind rattled the branches of the forest’s tallest.  It was a special day and young Greg Universe was a nervous wreck.  If she were some normal girl, then this day would need no explanation, but she was a gem who had no concept of human holidays.  And this was the first time the date rolled around since they started officially dating.  His heart beat faster as he remembered it was just the two of them out here.  He took a deep breath, brushing a hand back through his hair while the other tightly clutched sunflowers to his breast.  He stepped out of the van, looking around for where she might be.  “Yellow?”  He called out, hoping the gem would answer. She shouldn’t have strayed too far.  “Yellow?”

“Over here.”  A rich and confident voice sounded from down upon the strand.  Hers.

Greg squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip as he took one more deep breath before taking his first steps forward.  It wasn’t the greatest approach, for when he reached the bank, the ground gave out from under his feet, sending him tumbling down right next to her.  “Ow.”

She gave an inquisitive look, and as her brilliant golden eyes met his, Greg shyly turned away.  “You aren’t broken, I hope.”

“Nah,” He grumbled, “Just my pride.”  And as he rolled over, it revealed the state of the sunflowers he held so tightly.  “And these.  Sorry about that.” He commented, setting the poor things between them.

Yellow picked one of the flowers up, inspecting its every feature, each bruise, each petal, as her fingers traced over.  It was mesmerizing how gentle she was with bloom.  “Why did you bring me these?”  She asked, eyes shifting towards the young man.

The question caught him off guard, showing clearly as he flinched.  “Uh, no reason.” He squeaked.  “I mean, what reason do I need to bring beautiful flowers to my equally beautiful partner?”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes.  “You’ve never brought me these in the past, and why just the two of us, out here?” She added, gesturing over the water before them.  

“You got me, I guess.”  He chuckled, his gaze drifting to distant tree line over the other side of the lake.  “Just a human thing, Loved Ones’ Day.  I figured since this was the first since we, well…  I wanted to do something special.  I wanted you to feel special.”  He said, turning toward the gem wearing a smirk.

“I see…”  She commented as her face began turning bronze.

“Do my eyes deceive me, or is the great Yellow Diamond blushing?”  Greg teased, leaning in closer to the gem.

She turned away with a huff, rising from the ground which left the human to fall once more.  “You’re absolutely insufferable.”  She said, brushing sand from her form.

Greg scrambled to his feet, abandoning the crushed blooms and chasing after Yellow as she made her way back to the van, avoiding climbing the steep bank.  “But you have to admit, you love me.”

“Don’t use me for your own validation when you already know the answer.”  She said, stopping to observe a doe keeping watch over her fawn. 

“Oh come on!”  Greg cried as he caught up to the diamond, scaring the herd away.

 

The gem shook her head.  Upon finding a reasonable point to cross back to higher ground, she turned back to the young rocker keeping close, and without even asking permission, picked him up from under the arms and set him down upon the ledge before she stepped up herself.  He pouted, to which she responded with a roll of the eyes.  “You know I am more grateful for you than I have been to _any_ being in all my time.”

Greg wrung his hands. “I know, I know.  I’m sorry, but it’s just, all this gem stuff is _still_ foreign to me. I don’t understand _it_ , and there’s so much to _you_ that I don’t understand, and sometimes I feel like I’m pushing you without meaning to.”

“You weren’t pushing.” She said, taking his hands into her own. “And if you think gem culture is foreign, you couldn’t _begin_ to fathom what I think about humans’.”  She added, earning a snort from one in particular.  “But there is one in particular who I am learning a great deal about.  One I’ve come to grow great attachment to.”

Now it was Greg’s turn to blush.  He knew exactly what the gem was trying to say and despite it being an indirect way of saying the phrase, the words touched his heart just the same.  “You know I had other plans for us today.” He said, breaking the moment.

“Very well then.”  She responded, letting their hands part.  “I shall follow your lead this _Loved Ones’ Day._ ”

Greg smiled, thinking of what the rest of the day might have in store for the two of them.  “I think you’ll like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, y'like my ripoff Valentine's Day? Haha.
> 
> Can't leave another Kudos? No problem! Gimme a "comment kudos" instead. I'll know what you mean. :D


	5. Goodbye

Waves crashed against scattered rocks as a lone plateau stood at the center of it all.  A golden figure sat on its edge, watching the sun’s path across the sky’s expanse.  A single hand rested atop her swollen belly, slowly stroking it with her thumb.  She didn’t have to do this, but deep down, she felt there was nothing else she had to offer.

The sound of a warp stole the gem from her thoughts, and the voice which spoke was one that was all too familiar.  “There you are.  Everyone was worried when you just disappeared like that.”

“Ironic, considering whose mouth this is coming from.” Said Yellow.  “And what do those Crystal Gems of yours think about me again, Pink?”

“It’s Rose now.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

A tense moment of silence hung between them, broken by a sharp exhale of defeat by Rose as she moved to take a seat next to Yellow.  “Thank you for keeping my secret, by the way.”  She paused, glancing toward the other in hope that she had elicited some sort of reaction.  But Yellow kept her gaze fixed over the ocean.  “It wasn’t easy, you know.  But you gave me no choice.  If someone had just listened sooner then-”

“Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”  Yellow spoke up. “Would we?”

Rose loosened her posture, not realizing how worked up she had gotten.  “No, I suppose not.”  She said. “You know, when I learned that you were staying here _on this planet_ , I thought I’d been cracked.  I mean, there was _no way_ that Yellow Diamond, _the_ Yellow Diamond, would choose Earth over the Gempire.”

“Gempire?  Where did you learn that?”

“Greg.” She chuckled.  “Where else?”

“Of course.” Yellow said with a knowing smirk.  But that look fell away as she released a sigh.  “I used to wonder what it was about this planet that captivated you so, why you’d ever want to give up on the colony…”  She paused, watching a pod of dolphins as they leapt from the water.  “All it took was a change in perspective.  And then I saw it.  I understood.”

A gust picked up, spraying the two gems with fine salty mist.  As Rose pulled tousled curls out of her face, she looked at the other with concern.  “I’m glad you did, but… why give yourself up for-”

“Because I’m obsolete.”  She stated, shutting her eyes.  As they opened, the planet’s star began its path below the horizon.  “I’m a product of a failing system; and nothing I do can fix it.”

“But surely you could’ve done something?”

“I wish I could.  But it’s too late for that now. And I don’t have much longer left.” She said, struggling to stand up.  And when Rose offered her arm, she accepted graciously.  “Now, if I recall, you said quite a number were worried for me.  Yes?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Then I suppose I should return.  Farewell, Pink.”

As the light of the warp pad dispersed, the only illumination left was that from the moon.  The former Diamond stared up at its milky surface, remembering days long passed.  Both of them were so different from the gems they used to be.  She let out a light chuckle.  What if it was Blue here instead?  But those were thoughts for another day.  As Yellow’s gems worried for her, Rose knew the Crystal Gems would be just the same for her own sake.

* * *

As gems had no need for sleep, Rose’s worries grew in the night, long after she had returned to the temple.  While Yellow was always a gem for dramatics, there was something about the way she spoke these past few meetings that warranted concern.  Rose had to see her again, even none of the other gems would approve.

Rose left her room, and the unsuspecting gem met the fiery gaze of a sun which had just risen.  She quickly blinked the surprise away and headed for the wrecked gem vessel she knew the others resided in.

When she arrived, she witnessed the jasper and peridot, who seemed to be in the middle of some heated argument, standing guard outside.  It would be best to avoid them, lest they start questioning her motives.  But she had no doubt she could make it past undetected.  Rose was a master of disguise, after all.

“Hey, you!”

Rose sank further into her leafy cover, hoping she hadn’t messed up so soon already.

“Yeah, you, thinking you’re stealthy over there!” The gem called again.

“ _Great.”_ Rose muttered to herself before popping out to answer.  “What do you want, Jasper?”

“Authorized personnel only.  You’re trespassing.” She answered.

“Yeah, what she said.” The peridot followed, earning a glare from the intimidating quartz.

“Oh really?  Cause last I checked, there were never any signs around that said ‘No Crystal Gems Allowed’.” Rose retorted.

The jasper crossed her arms, a clear sign that she’d stand her ground against the rebel leader.  “No, but these orders come direct from Yellow Diamond.”

Even without the need, Rose’s breath caught in her throat.  Whatever else Jasper was droning on about, Rose didn’t pay attention.  Alarms were blaring through her mind and she couldn’t ignore them.

Rose bounded to the gem vessel, running through the jasper and peridot who stood in her way.  In a frantic haste, she searched for the Universe van which signified the reconstructed entrance to the interior.

“Yellow?” She called, running into the ship.  It was a labyrinth of corridors.  This modern gem architecture boggled her mind, but she had to keep going.  “Greg?”

“What’s with all the yelling?” Shouted Yellow’s pearl as she exited a nearby room.  Her eyes widened when she saw Rose.  “What are _you_ doing here?”

“Where’s Yellow Diamond?” She asked, determined.

The pearl paled, nervously wringing her hands.  “She’s um…”

Rose’s eyes followed where the pearl kept glancing.  “In there?” She pointed.

“No!”  She cleared her throat after the outburst.  “I mean, she doesn’t wish to be disturbed right now.”

Rose grew suspicious.  Her eyes narrowed, and she decided to push past the pearl standing between her and the door.  “I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

“No, wait!”

Greg jolted awake from his constructed bed at the intrusion, a shrill cry coming from a mysterious bundle which laid on his belly.  He groaned, clutching it close with one arm while the other rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  “I told you we were sleeping.” He slurred, still not fully aware of his surroundings.”

“I’m sorry, Mister Greg, but-”

“Where’s Yellow Diamond?” Rose interrupted.

The human blinked a few times, finally starting to process his surroundings.  “Yellow?  She’s…” The bundle cried out once more, and greg protectively shifted it to his chest.  “Come here.”

 Rose approached with caution, not wanting to startle the thing again.  But as she drew close, it calmed down, and Greg pulled the blanket back for her to get a better look.  A baby, it was a human baby.  It opened its eyes to look at her, but it couldn’t be.  It wasn’t until it reached its arm out that she saw, and realized.  She gasped.

“His name is Steven.” Greg said.

The brown fuzz on his head matched his father’s, but he had his mother’s eyes, and of course, her diamond.  Here Rose stood, having faked her own shattering thousands of years ago for this planet, and there was Yellow, having given up her own gem for it.  Why did so many gems have to suffer for the Earth?  Rose began  to tear up.  Only one living gem would know the reason why she did so.  She whispered so no one else could hear, hoping somehow that these words would reach the other.  “Goodbye, Yellow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere along the way Rose told YD the truth. Whether I incorporate that moment into the side stories is up to you guys. But I have a lot on my plate right now, so stay patient. As always, I appreciate you all with all my heart.


	6. Mirror/Ocean Gem

The woods outside of Beach City were another one of Steven’s escapes.  Sometimes it was nice to just get away from the noise of it all. No gems were there to breathe down his neck every waking moment.  He’d found a nice tree to sit against, and pulled out a rather interesting autobiography he checked out from the library just this morning.  He was just about to settle down when a familiar voice caught his attention.

“At least you’re always here.  Sometimes I just… wish I could say all this to Rose, but she just thinks too highly of that boy.”

Steven peered through the bushes separating him from disaster.  The owner of the voice was the Crystal Gem pearl. And she was talking to a… mirror.

“Not that you’d ever understand,” She continued, proceeding to turn the object in her grasp.  “You are broken now. So why is it I keep you? Maybe a metaphor for my own existence.” Her face scrunched as her grip tightened.  “Just a useless trinket.” She then hurled the mirror into the brush, with tears falling freely from her face and collapsing to her knees.

As Steven watched the scene before him, he wanted to step in, but what could he possibly do?  With what she said about him, would she even want him to? He hesitated, frozen in place while still staying hidden.  But soon, a glint caught his eye. It was the mirror she had thrown away, just lying there on the forest floor. What was it about this object that was so captivating to him?  He had nearly forgotten about the existential crisis having a meltdown just beyond this cover. In some strange magnetic pull, he found himself already in possession of the mirror.  The golden eyes of his own image stared back at him, caught in a trance. A state which was broken by the movement in his peripheral. The boy could feel his heart beating out of his chest.  He knew that that pearl wouldn’t hurt him, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be caught in such a compromising position. So he slung his bag over his shoulders, and with the mirror held firmly in his grasp, ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

Steven sat by Beach City’s boardwalk, keeping watch over the sea.  His bag was settled beside him on the bench which he sat upon, and in his hands was the mirror.  “Why did Sword Pearl leave you behind?” He mused. He turned the object over, observing the cracked gem on the other side.  His brows furrowed as a frown traced its way across his face. “Is it this?” He questioned, reaching for the blue gemstone, but stopping short.  What was this strange feeling he had?

“Hey, Steven.”

“Wah!”  He jumped, crackling with static.  “Connie, you know better than to sneak up on me.” He groaned, craning his neck toward the girl.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She quickly apologized before noticing the gem artifact he held.  “So what’s with the mirror?” 

“Oh, I uh… found it.”  He said, being as vague as vague as possible.  “In the woods.” If Connie knew the Crystal Gem pearl threw it at him, or near him, she’d be heartbroken.   She looked up to Sword Pearl so much.

“Really, Steven?”  She replied, crossing her arms.

“Really!” He exclaimed, holding his free hand up in defense.  “I found it in the woods.”

“That’s not what I…” She held a hand up to her forehead. “Usually when you answer this vaguely, you’re hiding something.” She pointed out.

He couldn’t deny it.  Briefly, he looked down into his reflection, and something sparked inside him.  He met Connie’s eyes once more, this time, the fire of confidence burning within his own.  “Whatever happened when I found this doesn't matter anymore. I have it now, and that’s all that’s important.”

“Okay.  I won’t press you anymore.” She answered.  Victory for Steven! “But I do have one more thing to ask.” She said, looking at the gemstone on its back.

“Uh… What?”

“Do the Gems know?”

Steven frowned.  How could he have overlooked them?  What would they even say when they found out?  Would they try to take the mirror from him? Especially if they knew he got it from a Crystal Gem.

“I’ll take your silence as a  _ no _ .” She sighed.

“Please don’t tell the Gems.” He begged.  “You know they’ll get mad at me for not telling them about it.”

“They won’t be that mad.”

“But still.”  Steven muttered off.

**Really, Steven?**

“What the…” Connie said as her eyes widened.  “Did that just come from the mirror?” She asked, propting Steven to turn its face toward them.

**Did that just come from the mirror?**

“It did!” Steven exclaimed, immediately jumping to his feet.

Connie, on the other hand, was not nearly as excited about this new development.  “You know, maybe you  _ should _ go tell the Gems.”

“What?  No way.” He said before turning his attention over to the mirror.  “So you can talk?”

**I** _ can talk? _

“Whoa!  Connie, it’s piecing things together from what we said earlier!” 

So enthralled was he, that he didn’t notice his friend slowly backing away from the scene.  “I’m… gonna tell the Gems.”

“Uh-huh, yeah.” He dismissed, completely ignoring the girl as she fled.  “So what exactly are you?” He asked the mirror once more. “You clearly aren’t  _ just _ a mirror.”

**Gems**

His brows furrowed as he thought about the blue gem on the mirror’s back.  “Is that blue gem you?”

**I** _ blue gem _

“How did you become a mirror?”

**Gems**

“I…”  Steven knew it wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t help the great amount of sorrow he felt.  How could gems have done this to one of their own? He knew the Homeworld and Crystal Gems were at odds with each other, but if one of them did this?  “Is there any way I can help you?”

**help**

“Yes, help.  But how?”

**gem**

“Gem… your gem!”

Steven turned the mirror over, unsure of how to handle this cracked gemstone.  He didn’t want to break it by mistake. And stars know what he’s broken without meaning to.  So he reached his fingers around its edges, searching for a good hold. He pulled. But it would not relent.  Harder. Still, it would not let go. Harder. “Please don’t break.” 

The gem released violently as the mirror’s face shattered in the boy’s grasp.  And as the gem began to glow, he released his grip, allowing it to fly toward the shoreline.  It was interesting to Steven to see a new gem type. At least a new gem that wasn’t corrupted.  In fact, this was the first gem he’s met who wasn’t around when he was a baby, but something was off about her.  He’d seen what happened to Amethyst when she had been cracked, and Steven could bet anything that it was why this gem’s eyes seemed as mirrors.

“Thank you.”  She said to the boy.

“Oh, yeah.  Thank you. I-I mean, you’re welcome.”

She giggled at his mistake.  “Steven, right?”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“Well I’m Lapis.  Lapis Lazuli.”

“Steven!”  A voice called from down the beach.  The Crystal Gems were here. “Get away from him!”  Garnet launched herself at Lapis as the others followed behind.  Rose settled next to Steven, her shield raised to defend him.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, looking up at the large pink gem.

“Connie told us everything.  She’s on her way to the ship right now.” Rose replied.

Well now he was in for it.  His attention was drawn back to the moment when a giant fist of water slammed down into the fighting gems on the beach. “But Lapis hasn’t done anything.  Why do you have to fight her?”

“Don’t you realize what kind of a threat she could be to Earth?  To you? We’re doing this to protect you.”

“But I don’t need protection!”  He yelled, sending his foot to the ground as static crackled around him.  “And what about my mom, wasn’t she a threat to Earth? What about Jasper and Peridot?”

“That’s… different.”

“How is that different?”  He asked. But the static around him dissipated when the fighting Crystal Gems were sent flying overhead.  “Lapis!” He called out to the blue gem, running past a distracted Rose to get down to her. “I know you’re only defending yourself, but please, stop this.”

“Yes, I am defending myself.  But why are you defending them?”  She exclaimed, gesturing toward the group that was regathering.  “Do you have  _ any  _ idea what they’ve done?”

“Lapis…”

“I’m going, Steven.” She said, turning towards the ocean.

“Where are you going?” He asked hesitantly.

“Home.”

* * *

“I remember the first time I let a gem loose on the Earth.”  Greg laughed behind the wheel of his favorite van.

“Yes… hard to forget that.” Pearl muttered as she glared at greg from the back.

“You still need to finish telling that story to us, Mr. Universe.” Connie spoke up, leaning toward the two Universe boys in front.

“I know, I know.  I’ll get to it when I have time.”

“Hey!” Came Jasper’s voice, along with banging from the roof.  “You all need to focus. We have a rogue gem to chase down.” She was right, and Steven frowned at the thought.

“Why did that gem even run off anyway?”  Connie asked just before the van ran through a small divot which threw the passengers to the side.

After recollecting himself, and a quick apology from his father to everyone, Steven decided to speak.  “Lapis said she wanted to go home. Does that mean she’s trying to get to Homeworld?”

Peridot spoke up.  “If she is, then there’s no reason to steal the Earth’s ocean.  Homeworld isn’t even in the same galaxy. So what’s she planning to do?  Stretch it all the way?” She laughed. “Why doesn’t she just fly home?”

Steven paused.  He then spoke his thoughts aloud.  “Maybe she can’t because she’s cracked.  Remember what happened to Amethyst?” He groaned.  “If only Rose was here.”

“Hey, I can only take so many of you along at once.” Said Greg in defense.  “Heck, Jasper’s riding on the roof!”

“Yeah, thanks for the acknowledgement!”  She yelled down.

“The Crystal Gems did say they would catch up on their own.”  Connie said. As a great tower grew in their sights, the group paused to look on in awe.  “I hope they come soon.”

The van came to a stop, and one by one, its passengers took their leave.  It was a brilliant sight before them as marine animals swam about in their tower of blue.  But they couldn’t forget the reason they were there.

Steven stepped forth, taking the lead as they approached the watery tower.  Channeling the strength he knew was deep inside him, he bellowed out, hoping he would be heard.  “Lapis, Lapis!”

“I don’t think she’s coming down.”  Pearl commented.

Before anyone could say something else, water burst from the tower and swallowed Steven up.   Up and up he was pulled, all the way to the top of the tower. The boy was let go, finally allowing him to catch his breath.  He looked up, seeing Lapis sitting on her knees as she gazed at the stars above. “Hey, Steven.” She said, without sparing a glance back.

“You know this isn’t going to work, right?  Stealing the Earth’s ocean. If you want to go home, then let Rose heal you.” He said, having taken a seat beside her.

“I don’t…”

“Whatever the Crystal Gems did in the past, it’s in the past.  The war is over.” He explained. “If you can’t trust them, then trust  _ me. _ ”

Lapis was silent as she hung her head.  But suddenly, it perked up. “They’re here.” She said.

“Let Rose heal you.” He looked into her eyes with the firm gaze of his own.

“Okay.”

It didn’t take long for Rose to be brought to the top of the tower.  And immediately, she rushed right over to Steven, scooping him up in her arms.  “Steven, are you alright? Did she hurt you?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He said, squirming to get out of the embrace he did not want to be part of.  “Lapis though, she needs your help.”

Rose looked over to the gem in question.  “I see.” She hesitated, but soon enough, approached the blue gem.  “Hold still.”

As she carried on in her process, Steven watched in anticipation.  When Lapis’ gem mended and she looked at him with her deep blue eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Wings of water materialized around her gem.  “Thank you. Again.” She said, addressing Steven.  Rose cleared her throat, making her presence known. Lapis then turned to address her as well.  “And… you too.” She seemed to force herself to say.

“So will you be staying?”  Steven asked.

“I wish I could.”  She answered with a forlorn look upon her.

“Why don’t you?”

“Earth never really agreed with me.”  She looked off in the direction of Homeworld.  “Goodbye, Steven.”

**Author's Note:**

> Putting this here to make sure only people who have read the work or at least scrolled to the bottom can see it.  
> So I have a Discord I set up for all my fanfiction fans! Come and have a laugh and be a merry bunch. Just follow this link and remember to be respectful to others!  
> https://discord.gg/4XwRBuj
> 
> Remember the comments and kudos, people! 
> 
> As always, this is your lovely Squish wishing you all a fantastic day! :D


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